Pedro de la Rosa: “In 2024, Alonso told me that he was thinking of retiring and I asked to travel to all the races, I said it at home and they accepted… but in the second race he told me that he wanted to renew and I could no longer cancel the trips”

“I don’t have the foggiest idea”said Pedro de la Rosaambassador of Aston Martinbefore the microphone Sports World When asked about the future of Fernando Alonso after participating in the presentation ceremony of the F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP 2026.

The Catalan emphasizes that the decision to continue in 2027 or for several more years is “very personal” and that no one can predict right now if the F1 Barcelona-Catalunya GP Next week will be Fernando’s last dance on the track for which he is an ambassador and for which he keeps so many magical moments in his memory.

And then, he gave a clear example of how unpredictable it can be. Fernando Alonso When deciding his future is what happened to Pedro de la Rosa with the Asturian in the 2024 season. The Catalan remembers that Fernando told him that he was considering leaving F1 at the end of that year and that is why Pedro decided to tell his family and the team that instead of doing half the races of the season, he wanted to do them all. Everything, to live Alonso’s theoretical last year in F1 in its entirety at his side. But something happened. This is how he remembered this funny anecdote during the presentation and then, giving more details, to Sports World.

An anecdote to remember

“Well, in 2024, it was the last year of Fernando’s contract and I thought he was going to retire. The thing is that Fernando initially told me he was retiring… Well, I was thinking about it, he didn’t say he was retiring 100% either. So I told the team that for 2024, which was theoretically Fernando’s last season, well, he wanted to go to all the grand prix. And I have an agreement with the team that I more or less make half of it. And then, doing the entire calendar, practically 24 races, is a brutal challenge on a family level. Because really… But hey, I thought: ‘hey, if it’s the end of an era, I want to enjoy it to the fullest.’ And so it was”he explained.

“I said it at home, they accepted it, as did the team and we already set the entire calendar, all the trips, everything organized. And when the 2024 season started, I met with Fernando one day. It was the second or third race. I remember that Fernando started to talk to me about how he wants to renew… well, the word ‘renew’, I think, ‘Wow!’ But renew for two more seasons… So, when I listen to this two seasons, I say, ‘okay, okay, and I’m delighted with life.’ But the first thing I do is talk to Aston Martin.”he added between laughs.

“I told the team: ‘Hey, you know what? That calendar we made, well, we would have to reduce it by half and so on. And they told me that they had already organized everything, that they couldn’t change it anymore. And they asked me why I wanted to change it and I didn’t know what to say. I told them: ‘No… it’s a family issue.'”he recalled.

“What had to be the last season ended up being a renewal for two more years. And we are happy that this was the case and that I hope it will be for another year.”concluded in this regard, asking only one thing from the public who come to the stands of a Barcelona-Catalunya GP in which a packed house is expected: “to enjoy Fernando. And whatever comes, will come.”